Dark truths I learned from working in Indian startups...

1. You want that promotion or salary increase? Threaten to leave us, and you might get it instantaneous.
2. When we say, don't worry, no immediate reason for redundancy means = look for a job NOW.
3. If you hear “you might get this or that" during a meeting it means, you won't get it.
4. Your purpose here for us, is to shut the fuck up, do your work, and never get a promotion, nor salary increase, but still be happy. We will lie through our teeth to make that happen. We don't care about your progress or promotion.
5. When you ask, please don't tell this to anyone else, before coffee time, every senior manager has been told what's going on, and whether or not we have to replace you.
6. Many people cheat. Given you are working under high pressure and travel a lot, weaknesses come up. Many can't resist and have a lady in every different town.
7. Don't trust anyone during work parties.
8. People use drugs or alcohol to cope with the pressure at work, but only at work. Their families at home, they have no idea. Don't believe them.
9. No one really gives a fuck if you come 5 minutes earlier, or leave 5 minutes later. You dressed well? We don't care. You were nice? We don't care. We might tell you we do, during promotion talks and whatnot but we lie, a lot..
10. We fucking monitor what you say on the intranet, dumbass. So be careful.
11. Bringing a problem to HR is only causing the opposite of what you expect. Colleagues will stop trusting you. You are done for.
12. Everyone is out for your chair at work. So they backstab you and try to set you up for failure. The friend of your enemy is your friend. You'll see worse betrayals than a Saavdhan India episode. Some people worked years for a promotion and never got it.

Be careful.